


An Extended Hand

by whoneedsapublisher



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Gen, More of a prelude, Not that overtly romantic, Takes place somewhere after V5 or V6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoneedsapublisher/pseuds/whoneedsapublisher
Summary: She's naive. Fucking unbelievably naive. If there's one thing Emerald hates about Ruby, it's that.
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Emerald Sustrai
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	An Extended Hand

Emerald hit the ground, hard. She bounced once, twice, and then skidded to a halt, leaving a trail in the dirt. The last of her aura flickered out.

“Did anyone else see that?” she heard one of the goodie two-shoes brigade ask. The bimbo. 

“Yeah.” The traitor spoke up this time.

“Careful, Ruby. It could still be an illusion.” The stuck up princess.

“I don’t think so. All four of us saw it, right? I don’t think she could manage that at this point.” And last, the leader. The little ray of _fucking_ sunshine. The happy little optimist, playing with her friends in her sheltered little world. Believing in fairy tales, making friends with anyone who shot her a fake smile.

Of all of them, Emerald hated her the most.

She had to get up. She wasn’t going to lose here. Not to these people. Not with Cinder’s life in the balance. She’d managed to survive whatever happened in the vault, but she hadn’t reported back to Salem. Salem didn’t like that. She was going to kill her, and Emerald _had_ to warn her. She’d looked for Ruby because Cinder would be looking for her, but unfortunately, Emerald had found Ruby first. And those brats had gotten better since the Vytal festival.

Way better.

If only Mercury wasn’t so damn cocky. He’d been sure that he could take the bimbo one on one again, and her and her turncoat partner had put him down before he’d even realized he was outnumbered. That left just Emerald against all four of them. Too many people to fool.

Emerald could hear footsteps approaching and tried to struggle to her feet. Her weapons had been sent flying, but if she was fast enough, maybe she could get to them.

“Hey.” Emerald looked up to see Ruby looking down at her… and extending a hand. “You need some help?”

Unbelievable. She really was soft. Did she even realize this wasn’t a sparring match? They weren’t training. This was a fight to the death. Showing mercy on the battlefield was the best way to get killed.

Emerald lowered head, pretending to be ashamed… but started to slide her hand down to her boot, to reach for the knife hidden there. She might not be able to win this fight, but she could at least try to take one of them down with her.

“Don’t.”

Emerald froze. It wasn’t what Ruby said that stopped her. It was the tone of her voice. It wasn’t the naive cheerful voice she’d heard back at Beacon, aghast at the notion that Emerald would even _think_ of attacking her when the fight was over. It was resigned. The tone of someone who had expected it, and was already tired of it.

Emerald glanced back up at her to find Ruby looking down with a serious expression on her face. It was jarring. It didn’t suit her the way a stupid looking smile did.

“Haven’t enough people died already?”

Emerald remembered the attack on beacon. The innocents running and screaming, the carnage as the Grimm charged in, destroying everything in their path. She remembered the horrible look on Salem’s face as she pulled more of those monsters from the pits, ready to take more lives, _every_ life, for her ancient revenge.

And then she saw the sadness in Ruby’s eyes.

She knew Emerald probably wasn’t going to take her hand. Emerald could see it in her stance. She was ready to swing when Emerald went for the knife. Ready to kill her. But she didn’t want to. Her eyes were already hating the act, mourning the death.

She might actually cry over Emerald. She’d probably even dig her a grave.

“...You’re ridiculous,” Emerald said.

“I know,” Ruby said.

Emerald sighed, and lifted her hand away from her boot. “Okay, okay,” she said, reaching out and taking Ruby’s hand. “I surrender. You win.”

Cinder had been the first person to care if Emerald if lived or died. The first one to want her, even if it was to use her powers. Mercury might have been the second. Emerald was never sure with him. But if he was, then Ruby was undoubtedly the third. And it wasn’t because she wanted to use Emerald’s power, or because she was Emerald’s ally. It was just because she looked at Emerald and wanted her not to die.

How was she supposed to resist that?

Cinder may have given her a chance to survive, but Ruby was offering her the chance to live.

Damnit. It was always the cute ones that were the most trouble.


End file.
